Research Symposium and Idea Exchange Abstracts 2019

RESEARCH

SYMPOSIUM &

idea exchange

MARCH 12, 2019

RESEARCH ABSTRACTS

1

INTRODUCTION Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students, I’m pleased to announce this important annual event in our College - the 2019 College of Journalism and Communications Research Symposium and Idea Exchange. It is a place and time for us to showcase and share our research. The diversity of topics, approaches and ideas reinforce how rewarding it is to be part of a college that embraces so many avenues and topics of discovery.

UF is now a top 10 public university and strives to be in the top 5. Our scholars demonstrate that we will play an important role in the University’s future and continue leading in our academic disciplines.

Congratulations to all the presenters and best paper award winners!

I’d like to thank Dean Diane McFarlin and Executive Associate Dean Spiro Kiousis for their encouragement and support of the symposium.

Additionally, this Symposium would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts of Yulia Strekalova and doctoral student Summer Shelton. And, last by not least, a special thanks to all of the hard-working reviewers and the attendees of this annual event.

Debbie Treise Senior Associate Dean| Division of Graduate Studies and Research Professor | Department of Advertising

2

CATEGORIES TOP FACULTY-STUDENT PAPERS ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMUNICATING SCIENCE, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND RISK MASS COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY MEDIA EFFECTS TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED COMMUNICATIONS

3

TOP FACULTY-STUDENT PAPERS

4

Top Student Paper

PGx in psychiatry: Patients’ knowledge, interest, and uncertainty management preferences in the context of pharmacogenomic testing

AUTHOR

Amanda Kastrinos & Summer Shelton

ABSTRACT Background. Pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) is currently expanding to psychiatric care. PGx offers a unique benefit to psychiatric patients in that it provides information about a patients’ reaction to medications that reduce the significant time and financial burden psychiatry patients often undergo to find optimize drug choice and dosage. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to examine psychiatry patients’ knowledge and interest in PGx, and (2) to explore how Uncertainty Management Theory relates to pharamacogenomic testing in this context.

Method. A survey of psychiatric patients (n= 144)was conducted measuring patients’ knowledge, attitudes, and interest in PGx, as well as their preference for seeking or avoiding information about their mental illness to manage uncertainty.

Results. While knowledge of PGx was low, interest was overwhelmingly high. 65 patients were already very familiar with the test either through conversations with their physicians or through their own searching. Regression analyses revealed that a preference for seeking information was a significant positive predictor of interest with and without controlling for genetic testing attitudes; however, a preference for avoiding information did not have a significant relationship to interest.

Conclusion. Ultimately, patients were interested in participating in the test, regardless of their uncertainty management preferences, indicating that Uncertainty Management Theory does not apply here in the same way it does to other types of genetic testing. This study also demonstrates that patients are knowledgeable enough about PGx to be included in future research on the topic.

Keywords: health communication, uncertainty, genetic testing

5

Top Faculty-Student Paper

Be authentic or be cute? How levels of photo retouching affect social attractiveness of social media profiles AUTHOR Mo Chen, Dr. Yu-Hao Lee, & Dr. Frank Waddell ABSTRACT People may alter their profile pictures and post them online because they believe such retouched images will create positive impressions and project positive selfimages for other people. But since many people are aware of this phenomenon of photo alteration, they may search for clues of photo-retouching in profile photos as an uncertainty reduction strategy. This study examines how three levels of photo retouching (untouched, moderately retouched cuteness, and highly retouched cuteness) affects social attractiveness in the initial phases of building interpersonal relationships, mediated by perceived authenticity and perceived cuteness. Overall, the results showed that higher levels of photo retouching decreased perceived social attractiveness through perceived authenticity and through perceived cuteness. Implications for online impression management and uncertainty reduction are discussed.

Keywords: impression management, uncertainty reduction, photo retouching, cuteness, authenticity

6

ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

7

Advertising and Public Relations

A Case Study of the Discourse on Natural Hair in the workplace: A Social Network Analysis AUTHOR Kelsy-Ann Adams & Brianna Ellis ABSTRACT This paper seeks to understand the online discourse around wearing natural hair in the workplace. Using a grounded theory approach, the researcher seeks to understand the social and professional discussions around the decision to wear natural hair in the workplace, defined as without relaxers, weaves, or wigs. The analysis found several themes from YouTube videos and comments discussing wearing natural hair in the workplace: words of encouragement/empowerment, discussion of styles to wear to work, styles to wear natural hair (locs, loose, or under extensions), and comments or reactions from their social and professional network on their hair, both negative and positive. This analysis can serve to advance the research on the discrimination women of color still face, both in and outside of the workplace, and the effects it has on self esteem, leadership, and community, and how online communities can provide a place of support.

8

Advertising and Public Relations

Functionality and Adoption of Branded Radio Apps: The Millennial Perspective AUTHOR Dr. Sylvia Chan-Olmsted, Rang Wang & Kyung-Ho Hwang ABSTRACT The Millennial is gradually leaving broadcast radio. To retain Millennial consumers, radio broadcasters integrated mobile apps into their branded services to adapt to the generation’s mobile-centric lifestyle. Branded radio apps, which possess technology, brand, and media properties simultaneously and act as a marketing tool as well as a means of content delivery, are the focal point of this study.

Through a national survey of Millennial radio consumers, this study explores their functionality preferences regarding branded radio apps and factors affecting their adoption of such apps. The potential contribution of these apps to loyalty is also studied. To be specific, three types of factors are investigated, namely technology, brand, and media factors. Adoption is explored from two perspectives, including adoption intention among non-adopters and actual adoption behaviors that distinguish adopters from non-adopters. The results suggest that Millennial consumers desire engagement, control of radio experience, integration of social media, and enhancement of music listening. In addition to functionality factors, technology acceptance factors, media usage factors, and brand relationship factors also play a role in affecting adoption. As such, this study contributes to the literature of technology acceptance, branded apps marketing, and media management. Practical implications are discussed as well

9

Advertising and Public Relations

Fostering Employees’ Positive Change Reactions: The Role of Internal Communication and Employee Empowerment AUTHOR April Cen Yue ABSTRACT This study examines how organizations’ utilization of two communication strategies (i.e., bridging and buffering) and employees’ perceptions of empowerment affect employees’ positive responses to organizational change—namely, openness to change and behavioral support for change. Through an online survey distributed among employees in the United States (n = 439), this study found that employees’ attitudes of openness to change are strongly and positively related to their behavioral support for change. Employees’ perceived empowerment and the use of the bridging strategy were positive and strong antecedents of employees’ openness to change and behavioral support for change. The use of the buffering strategy was positively associated with behavioral support for change but not openness to change. Finally, this study found that employees’ perceived empowerment and the use of the bridging strategy had significant indirect effects on behavioral support for change via openness to change. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Keywords: bridging strategy, buffering strategy, employee empowerment, change management, internal communication

10

Advertising and Public Relations

The Joint Effect of Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Social Responsibility on Consumer Outcomes AUTHOR April Cen Yue & Dr. Mary Ann Ferguson ABSTRACT Despite detrimental consequences of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) on a company’s financial performance and relationships with stakeholders, itis less often studied in relation to normative behaviors of corporate social responsibility (CSR).The questions of when and what consumer outcomes CSR and CSI would elicit when both are present in the same company remains unclear. This study conducted a 2x2x2 between-subjects experiment that explores the independent and interaction effects of the time sequence (CSI first or CSR first), the domain (domain-congruity or domain-incongruity), and the CSR commitment (high or low commitment)on different consumer cognitive and behavioral reactions(i.e., company evaluation, perceived corporate hypocrisy, purchase intention, negative word of mouth, protest intention).Based on a random sample of 361 adult participants in the United States, the results showed that consumers’ negative affect and behaviors toward the company are stronger when CSI follows CSR than vice versa. Specifically, when CSI follows CSR, perceived corporate hypocrisy ensues, which in turns leads to consumers’ negative global evaluation of the company.

We also found that when CSI was in the same domain as prior CSR, consumers evaluated the company more negatively, perceived stronger corporate hypocrisy, were less willing to purchase from the company, and more likely to protest against the company. Finally, we did not find CSR commitment to be a relevant factor in affecting consumers’ outcomes when both CSR and CSI were presented to publics.

Theoretical and managerial contributions of the study were discussed.

Keywords: corporate social irresponsibility; corporate social responsibility; consumer

11

Advertising and Public Relations

Predominant Models of Public Relations in Barbados since Independence: A Qualitative Study on Practitioners’ Perspectives AUTHOR Pamala Proverbs & Dr. Huan Chen ABSTRACT This study explores the models of public relations practiced in the Caribbean island of Barbados. The public relations industry is relatively well established in Barbados, given the presence of a professional body and multinational corporations.

However, there is little scholarly research on how it developed or is practiced. This study seeks to answer these questions through qualitative interviews with 20 seniorlevel professionals using the predominant models of public relations practiced in the U.S. and internationally as benchmarks. It was discovered that the models of public relations practiced closely matched those practiced in the U.S. The major finding was that the most prevalent model rested on a continuum somewhere between public information and two-way asymmetry. This knowledge is particularly important not only for scholarship but also for companies making market entry into the Caribbean to be able to navigate local idiosyncrasies. The implications of the study’s finding are further discussed.

Keywords: models of public relations, Barbados, PR practitioners

12

COMMUNICATING SCIENCE, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND RISK

13

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

“The Good News is that You Can Do Something about this:� Examining Nutrition Framing Messages for Colorectal Cancer Prevention on Cancer Websites AUTHOR Donghee Lee ABSTRACT About one third of cancer mortality is caused by poor diet and physical inactivity.

CRC also disproportionally affects the Black population who have higher incidence and mortality rate compared to non-Hispanic White population. Despite the prevalence of websites as a health information source, there lacks high quality information regarding diet and nutrition for cancer prevention on cancer websites.

Few studies have examined the content of diet and nutrition information in the cancer prevention context on the official cancer websites. Framing theory (Goffman, 1974) posits that the use of different words and phrases have a power of constructing and redefining audience beliefs, values, and action. Given the importance of nutrition in cancer prevention, the study explored how official cancer websites frame nutrition information. The current study examined framing of nutrition contents of six cancer websites and 13 webpages from cancer websites.

Three salient frames were found across the reviewed websites: controllability, certainty, and gain/loss. Notably, nutrition was framed as a controllable risk factor with inconsistent evidence of preventing CRC through increasing consumption of healthy food and avoiding unhealthy food products. Information on health disparities from the websites was also scarce. This finding illuminates the need for consistent framing of nutrition to emphasize its important role in CRC prevention as well as discussion of at-risk population.

Keywords: Content analysis, nutrition, colorectal cancer prevention

14

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Asking for a friend: A content analysis of online mental health resources for students at flagship universities AUTHOR Dorothy Hagmajer ABSTRACT The transition to university and its significant change for an individual in terms of lifestyle, stress, and shift in available support network can often coincide with the issue of mental health. Although every university possesses some means of counseling resources, the wait time for a student to meet with someone varies by university and its respective resources. A 2017 survey conducted by STAT determined that the average is about one week—but sometimes up to three. While students who are deemed at-risk or imminently suicidal are seen immediately, those at less extreme—but still troubling—ends of the spectrum occupy a large portion of the population. One of the ways in which counseling centers supplement their in-person care is by providing online resources, such as downloadable self-help guides or instructions on how students may address their concerns with a peer. Thus, this pilot study conducted a qualitative content analysis of online mental health resources at flagship universities through a lens of the Uses and Gratifications Theory in order to determine what themes are most salient among designated pages containing information for students who are worried about a peer. The results may help researchers to better understand the way in which students are being directed to navigate their concerns, and potentially aid in the improvement of future online resources.

15

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Nerding to the Choir: Science Attitudes of Pop-Culture Media Fans AUTHOR Vaughan James ABSTRACT Pop-culture conventions, where fans of popular media gather to engage with others in their love of science fiction, fantasy, video games, comic books, and others, are increasingly becoming venues for informal science communication.

Despite the ability of these conventions to draw crowds of thousands to science content, neither the content nor the audiences that consume them have been well-studied. This study proposed to begin filling this gap by assessing the attitudes toward science held by pop-culture media fans in order to more fully understand the audiences at pop-culture conventions. An online survey designed to measure different aspects of science attitude (Self-Concept in Science, Science Outside of School, Future Participation in Science, and Importance of Science) was given to participants (N = 62). Participants help positive attitudes toward science on all measures except Future Participation in Science, which was neutral. Students (n= 15) scored significantly higher on Future Participation in Science. Those that had attended a pop-culture convention (n= 35) scored higher than non-attendees in Science Outside of School. These results suggest that pop-culture media fans are a science-positive population, and that convention-goers in particular might be more willing to seek science content outside of school. More study is warranted in this population to fully understand their views of science and to develop methods to keep them science-positive and -motivated

16

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Streaming Mindfulness: Exploring the viability of a video streaming service as an effective intervention for promoting mindfulness and wellbeing AUTHOR Greenberry Taylor ABSTRACT Background: Mindfulness based interventions (MBI) such as meditation and yoga have been shown to improve both mental and physical health. A majority of research conducted on MBIs has focused heavily on the interpersonal implementation of these interventions, although in recent years the use of technology – specifically mHealth (mobile health applications) – as a delivery method for disseminating MBIs has received more attention from scholars. This study explores users of a subscription-based video streaming service (VSS) designed to stimulate mental activity, examining their interaction with the virtual content and its effects on levels of mindfulness and wellbeing.

Method: A survey of subscription-based video streaming service users was conducted measuring users’ levels of mindfulness and wellbeing, as well as usage and interaction with the service.

Results: Users reported feeling more mindful after completing an activity while using the VSS, as well as a higher level of overall wellbeing. Frequency of usage also contributed to increased levels of mindfulness and wellbeing (r=x, p<.0x).

Mindfulness, as reported by users of the VSS, was a significant positive predictor or wellbeing.

Conclusion: Video streaming services appear to be a viable option for improving levels of mindfulness and wellbeing. Based on the results, however, improvement is contingent upon the users’ interaction with the service. A daily interaction with a VSS is most likely needed to develop higher levels of mindfulness and sense of wellbeing.

Keywords: Mindfulness, Video Streaming Service, Communication

17

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Exploratory Study of Expectant Mothers’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs about Infant Vaccination AUTHOR Amanda Bradshaw, Dr. Virginia Dodd, & Dr. Carolyn Carter ABSTRACT Vaccination decision making occurs during pregnancy, but more insight is needed to determine how expectant mothers formulate knowledge, attitude, and beliefs about childhood vaccination. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) understand how expectant mothers formulate knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about childhood vaccination 2) explore how to tailor current childhood vaccination survey questions to better apply to pregnant women. Through the lens of the theory of reasoned action, which postulates that expressed intentions predict behavior, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted. Thematic analysis of 11 focus groups with 29 participants and one in-depth interview, all conducted with expectant mothers in various stages of pregnancy, revealed five overarching themes: the need for evidence-based childhood vaccine information during pregnancy; perceived trustworthiness of sources and the social media paradox; maternal concerns about a “one size fits all” vaccine schedule; risk-benefit analysis of first-time expectant mothers; and tailoring current survey questions to be more understandable and applicable to expectant mothers. Implications include the need for a standard program of childhood vaccination education during standard prenatal care in the United States and the design of a survey instrument specifically tailored to expectant mothers with increased explication of concepts and consistent terminology, taking care to avoid a priori assumptions about even rudimentary knowledge of immunology.

Keywords: Vaccine hesitancy, theory of reasoned action, prenatal care communication

18

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Detox Tea Advertising on Social Media: Examining the Content of Popular Detox Tea Brands on Instagram AUTHOR Kendra Auguste, Amanda Bradshaw, Alexis Bajalia, Dr. Debbie Treise, Summer Shelton, Matthew Cretul, & Montserrat Carrera Seoane ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of detox tea advertisements on Instagram in order to understand how detox teas are being portrayed in social media. Social media has emerged as a major influence on consumer health and behavior (Korda & Itani, 2013). With more than a third of all U.S. adults using the social networking site Instagram, food and dietary supplement marketing may be effective in building consumer awareness and furthermore influencing attitudes towards advertised products. However, little is known of what information detox tea brands include in marketing messages on the popular social networking site, Instagram. In this study, posts from detox tea brand accounts on Instagram were content analyzed to identify if health and nutrient claims were used and to describe how brands advertise their products on this platform. Coders applied a qualitative content analysis method to derive major themes from the content and health and nutrition related claims were assessed using an adapted coding instrument. Findings suggested structure-function claims were the most frequently used. Five major themes were observed: health and fitness, advertising and promotions, brand connections, social sharing, and two-way dialogue with the brand.

Keywords: dietary supplement, advertising, social media

19

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Screening Inside Out’s emotions: How Pixar discusses emotional health and depression AUTHOR Hayley Markovich ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to study how animated children’s film can impact discussions and understandings of mental health topics. This paper utilizes a qualitative content analysis, via a case study of Pixar’s 2015 film Inside Out. Specifically it focuses on how the inclusion of screen technology in the film allows the film company to enter a more modern discussion on childhood depression through the main character Riley and the setting of her mind. Additionally the methodology draws on a diachronic total history as described by Klinger (1997).

Studying the film in this way allows for it to be understood as a larger cultural object of influence, in the conversation between mass media and mental health portrayals. The film is analyzed for its content. Additionally, the film and its impact are also analyzed using accompanying content from the Blu-ray disc and YouTube video reviews of the film from verified channels. Studying this content allows for a further discussion and potential understanding about Pixar’s view of mental health as well as how the film is received by audiences and if they are picking up on discussions of mental health occurring in the film. Conclusions are drawn about Disney-Pixar’s presentation of childhood depression, the implications for such a portrayal, and family-oriented animated film’s potential role in teaching audiences about mental health.

Keywords: mental health, screen culture, animated film

20

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

A Spoonful Too Many: A Qualitative Framing Analysis of National Codeine Cough Syrup Abuse Coverage in Nigerian Newspapers AUTHOR Yewande Addie ABSTRACT In a scathing social critique, the BBC’s “Sweet Sweet Codeine” documentary unearthed and globalized a growing trend in Nigeria: the addictive abuse of cough syrup. Though Nigeria’s government responded swiftly with a ban on pharmaceutical imports, the subject dominated news coverage in Nigerian outlets. reacted with. This study explored primary news frames in Nigerian news coverage of national opioid abuse and how it compares with frames that are commonly associated with non-Nigerian opioid-related news coverage. Findings suggest primary frames reflected critiques of the government’s response, authoritative frames, and frames encouraging a call to action for the common good.

Keywords: Nigeria, framing analysis, codeine cough syrup

21

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Exploring the Interaction of Illness and Geographic Identities on Online Community-Building in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease participation in scientific research AUTHOR Dr. Samantha Paige, Rachel Damiani, Dr. Elizabeth Flood-Grady, & Dr. Janice Krieger ABSTRACT Background: Helping patients recognize the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a public health priority. Community-enrichment activities build patient networks and disseminate socially constructed resources to help patients recognize this burden. Health resource delivery is often dependent on patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; illness and geographic region. Little is known about the intersection of patient perceptions of illness and geographic regions, and their influence on online community-building behaviors.

Purpose: To examine how COPD illness identity is formed to mediate the relationship between COPD status and reciprocating online support across rural and urban settings.

Methods: In April 2018, 575 adults with obstructive lung conditions from a universitybased research registry and webpage listing enrolled in an online survey. A hierarchical linear regression examined how socio-demographics, COPD factors and knowledge contributed to illness identity. Two conditional process analyses that examined the indirect effect of COPD diagnosis on giving/receiving online support through illness identity, moderated by geographic identity.

Results: COPD illness identity was comprised of socioeconomic status, COPD diagnosis, smoking tobacco, respiratory symptoms, and disease-knowledge. COPD diagnosis was positively associated with reciprocating online support. An indirect effect existed for this relationship through illness identity. Rural adults with low illness identity and urban adults with high illness identity more often reciprocated online support.

Discussion: Culturally-adapted interventions are needed to engage rural-urban adults differently in online community-building programs. The inclusion of interactive demands online interventions should depend on patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perceived rurality and point on the COPD illness identity continuum.

Keywords: eHealth; communication theory of identity; social support

22

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

The effect of educational videos related to pregnancy on health-related decision making among nonpregnant women AUTHOR Diane Ezeh Aruah & Moritz Cleve ABSTRACT Women with low-risk pregnancies often undergo unnecessary cesarean sections due to a lack of education and misguided perceptions about the risks and benefits of cesarean sections relative to natural vaginal delivery. A mixed sample of 179 females (average age of 23.35) from a US college and Amazon Mechanical Turk participated in the single-factor experimental study and were either exposed to an educational video about the risks and benefits of cesarean sections or a control video. Dependent measures include self-reported knowledge, perceived efficacy, perceived threat, and behavioral intent (preference of delivery method for future pregnancies). The study used an experimental approach to measure efficacy and threat perceptions for both delivery methods independently before combining them into continuous variables. The results suggest that exposure to information about risks and benefits of cesarean sections had positive effects on threat and efficacy perceptions, but not on behavioral intention. However, as predicted by the Extended Parallel Process Model, the interaction of efficacy and threat affected womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behavioral intent for future pregnancies, concluding that single exposures to risks and benefits are outweighed by strong perceptions of efficacy and threat.

The present study has theoretical implications related to measuring and comparing efficacy and threat perceptions of both danger and fear control appraisals for two valid options (delivery of a baby). Health practitioners should consider the recognizing womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perceptions of efficacy and threat to effectively address misperceptions with adequate information to reduce the rate of unnecessary, elective cesarean sections.

Keywords: Cesarean Section, Vaginal Delivery, Risk Perception

23

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

A Case Study of Disseminating a Breast Screening Program in Rural Bangladesh AUTHOR Aantaki Raisa, Dr. Janice Krieger, Dr. Anthony Roberto, Richard Love, Dr. Heather Story, & Reza Salim ABSTRACT The rising incidence and mortality due to breast cancer is affecting low-tomiddle-income countries (LMICs) like Bangladesh in multi-faceted ways. The most adversely affected part of the population are the rural women. It is largely due to the stigma that comes with less-known non-communicable diseases like cancer and the social barriers of talking about female body in the public sphere. Women in the rural Bangladesh are often dependent on their husbands which makes it even more challenging for them to take necessary health decisions. Considering the existing barriers, along with the cultural context of rural Bangladesh, this study experimentally tests the effects of a breast cancer related folk song on the perceptions of women and men in rural Bangladesh. Drawing from the extended parallel processing model, we examine whether exposure to an intervention talking about the threat of breast cancer as well as the efficacy of screening, increase intentions to get screened among Bangladeshi men and women living in ten villages in Bangladesh. Results showed significant increase in perceived severity of breast among both males and females. Males had significant increase in norms towards breast cancer screening while women showed partially increased norm and response efficacy. Males showed significantly higher perceived severity and norms pertaining breast cancer, and response efficacy about breast cancer screening in the experiment group. Males also showed partially higher self-efficacy than females. Access to screening was significantly correlated to self- efficacy and response efficacy.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Bangladesh, cancer-communication

24

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Geo-social Strategies for Mental Health Management among College Students AUTHOR Qingyi He, Stephanie Strickland, Kyle Stodard, Rebecca Pecora, Ashley Lazarski ABSTRACT Background: College students live, work, and socialize with their peers, and therefore are vulnerable to peer influence. Social networks have strong effects on behaviors of college students. At the same time, identified socialization venues can serve as intervention points for wellness promotion (e.g., advertising of mindfulness sessions) and/or prevention of risky behaviors (e.g., excessive drinking). Social network analysis (SNA) is a useful, emerging method for studying health. SNA comprises both a theoretical perspective and a set of methods to better understand connections among people, organizations, and other units of analysis. This method can be used for observational studies that aim to identify existing social, communication, and semantic networks (Monge & Contractor, 2003). It can also be used for individual- and group-level interventions that focus on the diffusion of information and behavior change (Valente, 2012). The goal of this project was to identify venues, or social and communal places, that comprise social support infrastructure for UF students.

Methods: This study used mixed methods and combines social network analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. The data included online survey answers from 83 UF students. Collected data included listings of socialization venues and sources of social support school related and unrelated issues. Y venue data will be entered in spreadsheet format and presented as matrix for the analyses.

Results: The data shows that students tend to stay on-campus or in areas very close to campus (predominantly in Midtown or Downtown) when socializing with friend groups. Overall, these observations show what we call an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;acutely socialized personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trend. Meaning, when socializing or facing issues, students gravitate toward solutions which allow them to interact with others, but in an isolated way.

Keywords: Mental health, Socialization, Wellness promotion

25

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Using HINTS Data to Determine Health Information Sources of Rural Populations in the United States AUTHOR Matthew Cretul ABSTRACT This study used self-reported survey data collected from a rural population throughout six North Central Florida counties (N = 102) to determine where they obtain their health information, outside of their healthcare providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office.

Interpersonal sources were reported as being utilized most frequently, as well as the most trusted sources; however, telecommunication sources such as the internet are also utilized, yet not as trusted.

26

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Where Do Rural Populations Get Their Health Information? Sources of Information and Levels of Trust AUTHOR Matthew Cretul, Summer Shelton, & Dr. Mark Hart ABSTRACT This study used data collected as part of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5 Cycle 1 to determine if rural populations differ in their health information sources when compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. It compared rates of use for interpersonal and media-based sources for individuals seeking health information in both urban and rural areas. It also compared levels of frustration respondents encountered when searching for health information between rural and urban residents. The findings revealed that despite the abundance of electronic health information sources, rural residents prefer to utilize interpersonal sources to receive their information. Additionally, despite a lower usage of electronic sources than urban residents, rural residents do not experience higher frustration levels when they do choose to utilize electronic sources. These findings help provide rural healthcare practitioners with an understanding of where their patients are going for information.

27

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk

Undergraduate Science Public Information Officers: A Situational Needs Analysis AUTHOR Zack Savitsky & Dr. Janice Krieger ABSTRACT In response to the increasingly prominent and profound impact that science and technology play in everyday life, a new calling has emerged for people to communicate science. The greater interaction with science prompts a greater need to understand it. At the same time, though, specialization within the scientific community has exacerbated the barriers between these jargon-filled disciplines.

What’s left is a gap between different STEM subjects and among the lay public – a gap to be bridged by scientific communication professionals who translate esoteric work and discoveries into easily accessible and understandable language.

To prepare students who are interested in pursuing this career path, many universities (NYU, Vanderbilt, etc.) have established science communication or science journalism programs. However, the University of Florida currently has no direct path for undergraduate students to prepare themselves for the field.

This research project serves as a situational analysis of the need for science communication at UF. After exploring the landscape, the dissemination of research findings emerged as a potential environment in which undergraduates could gain valuable experience communicating science. Ideally, students would serve as science public information officers – interviewing researchers in various disciplines, translating the material and reporting on their findings in a student-run publication.

Before this, however, the case must be made that research dissemination is, in fact, effective and that the University of Florida could potentially benefit from increased science communication efforts from the undergraduate student body.

Using data from citation-tracking programs like Altmetrics Explorer for Institutions and Web of Science InCites, along with data from multiple previous studies, this paper exists as an attempt to justify the purpose of science public information officers in a university setting and the role that undergraduate students could serve.

To demonstrate the importance and relevance of science public information officers in a university setting, this paper refers to various previous scholarly articles and “Handbook for Science Public Information Officers,” written by North Carolina

28

Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk performance, which, according to U.S. News, uses “various bibliometric measures, including publications and citations, as well as indicators for global and regional reputation in each specific subject.”

The Altmetrics Explorer for Institutions database reports on the online activity surrounding a university’s academic research. This paper compares the total mentions (TM), outputs with attention (OWA) and total outputs (TO) from Altmetric’s database. Additionally, the “mentions per output” (MPO) score is calculated as the ratio of total mentions to the total outputs tracked of a university’s research articles. For additional support, the citations per paper (CPP) from the Web of Science Incites Essential Science Indicators database are referenced for the same 10 universities.

The results from this study demonstrate a correlation between increased science communication efforts (i.e. the work of public information officers) and citation scores – hence emphasizing the importance of the job. Additionally, the data show a general trend that the higher-ranked universities tend to have higher TM, OWA, TOT, MPO and ESI scores, while the University of Florida ranks in the bottom half of the measured TM, MPO and CPP scores (see Table 1).

Clearly, research dissemination efforts are effectual, and the University of Florida has room for improvement in this area. Helping with the university’s research communications seems to be an ideal means for undergraduates to gain experience communicating science, and there is potential that their effort could benefit the university. Following this report, a science public information officers will be implemented at UF to help disseminate research findings, and the analytics will be tracked as that project develops.

Keywords: Science communication, Research dissemination, Science public information officer

29

MASS COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY

30

Mass Communication and Society

Understanding YouTube Personality Communities: Conceptualization and Typologies AUTHOR Rang Wang ABSTRACT YouTube personality channels have attracted great attention in the recent years given their values in marketing and advertising. However, what a YouTube personality channel is and how it operates have not been clearly demonstrated in a conceptual way. Adopting a community approach, this study addresses this issue by conceptually defining YouTube personality channels as participatory content communities and developing typologies of two major types of members of these communities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; personalities and followers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; respectively. As such, a conceptual framework is provided to advance our understanding of YouTube personality channels and to guide future empirical research in areas such as online communities and influencer marketing.

31

Mass Communication and Society

The Effects of Influencers and Sponsorship Disclosure in Instagram Product Review AUTHOR Yoo Jin Chung, Susanna Lee, & Dr. Eunice Kim ABSTRACT Given the popularity of influencers on Instagram, this study sheds light on the role of different types of influencers to examine the effectiveness of influencer marketing.

This study examines the effects of influencer types (a celebrity vs. a micro-celebrity vs. a layperson) in Instagram product review posts and how they interact with different types of sponsorship disclosure (no disclosure vs. implicit vs. explicit) to influence the message credibility, intention to engage with the influencer, attitudes toward the product, and product purchase intention. Findings of the study indicate the significant group differences among the three types of influencers that a layperson induces the most positive consumer reactions. However, findings show no significant different effects of sponsorship disclosure types on consumer reactions.

No interaction effects were found between influencer types and sponsorship disclosure. Additionally, the study examines the mediating role of persuasion knowledge activated by different types of sponsorship disclosure. The findings offer a significant contribution to understanding consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; information processing of covert advertising contents and influencer marketing on social media. Study implications and future research are discussed.

Keywords: sponsorship disclosure, influencer marketing, micro-celebrity

32

Mass Communication and Society

Visualizing power politics in international aid: A content analysis of mediated public diplomacy during the 2014 Ebola outbreak AUTHOR Phillip Arceneaux & Xiaomeng Lan ABSTRACT This study investigated the visual frames through which Chinese, French, and U.S. newspapers engaged in nation branding during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. While Entman’s cascade activation model suggests that governmental elites are often the most influential in orienting the media’s perspective of foreign policy issues, it was projected that media institutions would fulfill a mediated public diplomacy function, i.e. that visual media coverage of international aid during the Ebola epidemic would support the projection of national brands of China, France, and the United States. Data collected from the People’s Daily, Le Monde, and the New York Times suggested that Western coverage stressed negatively toned human-interest coverage in a journalistic style, while Chinese coverage stressed a more positively toned account of aid and cooperation in a public relations style.

Such findings contribute to understanding visual media framing as functions of political power struggles.

Keywords: mediated public diplomacy; nation branding; visual framing

33

Mass Communication and Society

The use of piracy and password-sharing in the streaming era AUTHOR Colin Kearney ABSTRACT Over the past few years, the shift from broadcast and cable television to online platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, has become a major issue in the media industry. Audiences, particularly those between 18-25, have been dropping cable and satellite bills in favor of a more cost effective over-the-top service. Yet, even as the cost differences of these various platforms vary and are typically less expensive than a monthly cable bill, there are those who do not believe there should be any cost to access media, choosing to share their passwords with friends and family, or simply pirate the media online. This study found that there is a strong indifference amongst this age range towards password sharing and similar levels among the use of piracy. Using focus groups, it went indepth to better understand how young adults envision the future of media, with most seeing the status quo remaining, with no real hurry to pay for play.

Keywords: Netflix, Focus Group, Piracy

34

Mass Communication and Society

Newspaper coverage and framing of ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez AUTHOR Brett Ball ABSTRACT The All-American and rising star, Aaron Hernandez, was on his way to making his mark as one of the greatest football players in collegiate and National Football League (NFL) history. At the brink of his career, Hernandez was plagued with offfield setbacks that changed the trajectory of his life. The purpose of this study is to examine top five major daily newspapersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; coverage of Hernandez and how these outlets inform public perceptions of news about the suicide of prominent the former athlete through frames. More specifically, it examines the mainstream news coverage of Hernandezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suicide after his autopsy discovered stage three Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). News frames can influence and determine how an audience interpret issues or events (Tewksbury and Scheufele, 2009); therefore, the framing theory is most appropriate to address the proposed research questions.

This study investigates mainstream coverage from April 2017 until October 2018 from The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times and the Chicago Tribune. This study will contribute to the literature on news coverage and framing and seeks to provide insights on strategies on how to communicate about athlete suicide and or health issues in the future. Five main prevalent themes emerged from the 50 articles that were analyzed. These frames include case facts, rise, and fall of Hernandez career, legal retribution, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) excuse or explanation and attribution.

Keywords: framing, sports, health

35

Mass Communication and Society

Portugal Research Project AUTHOR Scott Austin ABSTRACT Portugal is a country near Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Lisbon.

According to BBC.com it has been around since the 15th century and has a population of approximately 10.7 million. It also says that one of the famous explorers who discovered Portugal was Vasco De Gamma. The dominant religion is primarily Christianity, and they have their own language, Portuguese. (BBC, 2018)

Portugal like many countries around the world went into a debt crisis in 2008.

According to CIA.gov Portugal fixed their situation by making “implemented spending cuts and tax increases to comply with conditions of EU-IMF financial rescue package.” As of now, their economy seems to be much stronger. (CIA, 2018)

Portugal has its own TV broadcast station as we do in the United States with PBS. It is called Radio e Televiaso de Portugal. According to CIA.gov it “Operates for domestic channels and external service channels to Africa; overall, roughly 40 domestic TV stations.” (CIA 2018) Based on these facts it looks as if Portugal has a well-developed media system in place.

Portugal also has a public radio station just like the U.S. has in NPR. According to bbc.com Portugal’s radio station is called RDP. The website Bbc.com also goes on to say that Portugal has eight newspapers and they are “Diario de Noticias, Publico, Correio de Manha, Jornal de Noticias, Expresso, The Portugal News, Algarve Resident, and Algarve Daily News.” The four tv stations are “RTP, SIC, TVI, and Zon.” The four radio stations are “RDP, Radio Comercial, TSF, and Radio Renascenca.” They also have a news agency named “Lusa News Agency.”(BBC 2018)

When it comes to Portugal’s media systems, there are many powerful points about their success. According to media landscapes.org “ 99% of those surveyed regularly watch television, with no significant differences in terms of age or gender.

Comparatively, 60.5 percent of respondents frequently use the Internet; 68.2 percent regularly access newspapers and magazines; 73 percent have the habit of listening to the radio.” (Media Landscapes, n.d.)These are the statistics that show the success of Portugal’s media system and how the people of Portugal are utilizing it.

36

To compare we look at Spain’s media consumption. According to medialandscapes.org and to the EGM “The Internet was the second most consumed medium in Spain (69.9 percent of the population accessed it daily), Exceeded only by television (88.3 percent)” (Media Landscapes, n.d.) In this case, the Spanish use the Internet more than the Portuguese. They also watch less TV.

Now we look at France as our second country to compare the survey.

According to medialandscapes.org “86.6 percent of French individuals watched TV programs daily.” (Media Landscapes, n.d.) The other info provided does not apply. Comparing to Portugal, this shows us that although watching television is not as high in France it is still more than Spain. Portugal still holds a strong lead in the television category among these to other countries.

One of the first concepts that I want to look at is the concept of a free press and freedom. If we look at freedom house.org, we will see that Portugal is considered to have a free press and high freedom rating. This website rates different countries and their freedom, their freedom of the press and political rights.

If we were to compare Portugal to the United States, Portugal has higher freedom and political rights rating. (Freedom House, 2018) This means to me that the United States is not the leader in the world and it shows me that Portugal has come a long way in deserves A great deal of credit.

One of the concepts we discussed in our class was about ethics and conflicts of interest. Recently, something happened in Portugal that involved this two concepts. For example, Portugal’s defense minister has quit over a scandal.

According to a guardian.ng article “Portugal’s Defence Minister Jose Alberto Azeris Lopez resign Friday over is a scandal which is seeing senior figures in the military and police force is arrested over the theft of rockets, grenades, and cartridges from a military arms depot.“ (AFP, 2018) This story is still developing, but it is an example of ethics and conflict of interest. The Country’s Media System is referenced when it says “among those picked up, according to local media reports, was Luis Vieira, head of the Military Police.” (AFP, 2018)These situations lead to people resigning or getting fired, and that is what happened in this case.

As I have stated in one of the earlier slides about media system comparisons, Portugal has access to many digital communications. If we look specifically at internet we will see According to cia.gov Portugal has “7,629,560 Internet Users” and that is “70.4 % of their population (CIA, 2018). Also according to cia.gov, we see a total of “3,574,047 Broadband subscribers.” (CIA, 2018) I believe these numbers are high because Portugal has done a great job of keeping everything current. They are in a strong position although more work could be done.

As we conclude this presentation, we have seen lots of information in regards to Portugal’s media system. As shown in the media system comparisons slide, Portuguese watch television at a very high percentage. My recommendation is to capitalize on that and turn it into a profit. I would take the same path that India has with Bollywood. (Mcphail 2017) I recommend making TV shows or films. There is a vast market, and they could use the money.

37

Mass Communication and Society

How Threat to National Sovereignty Fosters the Acceptance of Propaganda Messages: A Conceptual Model AUTHOR Osama Albishiri ABSTRACT Grounded on the social identity theory, this paper investigated the process that leads individuals to accept propaganda messages when the national sovereignty of their country is under threat by foreign nations. The aim is to scrutinize not only the psychological factors, such as perception of threat, fear, anxiety, and emotional cognition but also other sociological and cultural aspects, such as competing identities and social conformity that were not addressed thoroughly enough in the existing literature. To better understand those factors, and their role in individualsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; decision-making process regarding the acceptance of propaganda messages, the study built on the previous empirical investigations to develop a conceptual model to explain that process. The application of this model and suggestions for future research ha and propositions to guide future research were also discussed in this paper.

Keywords: propaganda, the Gulf crisis, sovereignty

38

MEDIA EFFECTS

39

Media Effects

Correction of misinformation on Facebook and the third-person effect AUTHOR Paul Mena ABSTRACT Amid public concern over the rise of fake news on Facebook, the social media platform started to flag misleading news stories as disputed by fact-checking organizations. It has been unclear, however, to what extent the presence of credibility labels actually affects users’ perceptions and intentions towards fake news. Using an experimental design, this study showed online participants misleading information around international politics with the aim to assess the effect of “disputed” flags on users’ intentions to share fake news as well as the perceived likelihood that other people would share fake news after seeing a warning label.

Study results reveal that the correction of misinformation might have an important impact on reducing the sharing of fake news by diminishing the credibility of the fabricated news content to be shared. In addition, this study finds that people might be prone to believe that others are more likely to share false news contents than themselves, regardless of the warning label. This research provides useful implications for theory and insights to the discussion on what could be effective ways to combat fake news.

Keywords: fake news, message credibility, journalism

40

TECHNOLOGYMEDIATED COMMUNICATION

41

Technology-Mediated Communication

A robot gave me this suggestion? The effect of advice type and advice domain on perceptions of interpersonal power and influence AUTHOR Mo Chen & Dr. Frank Waddell ABSTRACT As more artificial intelligence devices become a part of our daily life, questions have arisen regarding how much interpersonal power that people perceive advice given by humans and by machines. Informed by media equation theory and the uncanny valley effect, an experimental study (n = 580) was conducted that examined the effect of advice type on perceived power, and if such an effect was mediated by perceived influence. The results revealed that people have a higher sense of power mediated by perceived influence when they get advice from humans relative to machines. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: advice given, human-computer interaction, media equation, uncanny valley

42

Technology-Mediated Communication

Camera movement as a nonverbal communication: A replication of Heider and Simmel (1944) AUTHOR Benjamin Lynn ABSTRACT Designed as a replication of Heider and Simmel (1944), the present study demonstrated that when untrained participants (N = 107) attended to camera movements, they made consistent attributions of the camera operatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotions based only on the movements of the camera image. Using a within-subjects design with random ordering assignment of the conditions, the professional camera operator, which used smooth, precise, and confident movements of the camera, showed higher levels of positively valanced emotions (M = 4.42, SD = 1.44) than negatively valanced emotions (M = 1.71, SD = .84) and the amateur camera operator, with fast, abrupt, and uncertain movements, showed higher levels of negatively valanced emotions (M = 3.56, SD = 1.35) than positively valanced emotions (M = 1.99, SD = 1.11). A repeated measures ANOVA, with operator condition as the independent variable and overall performance as the dependent variable, was significant overall and in each case, the contrast between the three conditions were statistically significant. Based on only a single camera movement, participants were able to discern significant differences in both emotions and performance levels between a professional, aspiring-professional, and amateur camera operator. The results demonstrate that attributions of emotions in the movement of inanimate objects can be replicated using camera movement as a stimulus. In addition to having practical implications for content production environments generally, the findings extend the literature on nonverbal communication, perceptions of movement, and emotions.

Keywords: camera, emotions, movement

43